While Keaton Verhoeff’s stock has fluctuated throughout this past year when it comes to where people are ranking him for the 2026 NHL Draft — everything from a contender for No. 1 with Gavin McKenna, to being in the middle of the first round — one thing has remained stable no matter what: People think he can make an impact in the NHL.
That’s the type of prospect we’re truly talking about here. Someone who was seen as a truly projectable talent; a 6-foot-3, right-handed defenseman that isn’t flashy but has just seen success wherever he has played and is young for his draft year with a June birthday. That just feels like a package that, at the very least, is a solid contributor in the bottom half of your blue line — someone who can be the No. 4 on a team with Stanley Cup aspirations.
Is that worth a top-five pick? Maybe not, but let’s see what makes Verhoeff’s ceiling more intriguing.
Pre-draft rankings
Ranked #11 by Elite Prospects
Ranked #4 by NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters)
Ranked #4 by Daily Faceoff
Ranked #4 by Sportsnet (Jason Bukala)
Ranked #3 by The Athletic (Chris Pronman)
Statistics
What’s there to like?
Before getting into the little details that Verhoeff has that makes scouts excited about his development, it is a good thing that he made the decision to go to college hockey and play for the University of North Dakota this season. While technically his average ranking has lowered compared to where he was before his draft year, Verhoeff leaving the WHL and deciding to play in a much more competitive league to level up, and putting up the counting stats that he did at just 17 years old, is an impressive feat.
He didn’t play massive minutes but was a solid contributor on a good team instead of wallowing for the Victoria Royals and dunking on a weakened WHL. Already, he has shown much more capability of developing into a top-four defenseman than the CHL defensemen like Carson Carels or Daxon Rudolph (or arguably Chase Reid) who are also getting a lot of love. It’s a hard thing to do and Verhoeff did it.
Overall, the thing to like the most about Verhoeff is that he is a more jack-of-all-trades type of defenseman, rather than having one insane skill that might make-or-break his projectability into the NHL. It’s the confidence that we can say that this guy is going to play some games, maybe hundreds and hundreds, and get the right opportunity just because of how well he can think out on the ice and work hard in all the little details of the game.
But, Verhoeff’s calling card could be his playmaking. When in the offensive zone, Verhoeff is typically able to make plays and create scoring chances for his teammates thanks to smart and thoughtful passing. He’s a defenseman that can be relied upon to boost a team’s offensive potential rather than sinking it and could be a contributor in that way. Will it translate to the NHL? That’s still a major question, obviously, but what it looks like right now is that he’s one of the more consistent players offensively from the blue line in the draft class.
Verhoeff also has a bomb from the point, since he did score 10 goals with it in the NCAA this season, but it is tricky to see if that will also translate since we’re not seeing crazy numbers of goals scored by defenseman, especially from long range.
Defensively, Verhoeff is a smart guy and can control gaps well, understands the level of pressure he needs to put on incoming forwards, and can use his size and reach well to break up cycles and win battles along the wall. It’s just a total package that all teams dream about.
What’s there not to like?
But, he’s not perfect of course.
With all those positive attributes, there is an overarching theme from scouts that watched him from his Victoria days all the way through his freshman year in North Dakota. Verhoeff just needs to play at a quicker pace, especially on the breakout and not letting forecheckers be able to disrupt his plays. The stop-and-pausing to read the situation can be detrimental in the NHL, with the fastest and most aggressive forecheckers he will ever come across.
Verhoeff’s skating will also need some work as he’s not the most fleet of foot even along the blue line. If he could get a little more agile, then more of his offense can work and the ability to keep the puck for his own team will get better.
The general feeling coming from detractors of Verhoeff is that he’s not some super stud that’s flashy or exciting to think about. He’s more of a plug-and-play blueliner that can be relied upon to munch up minutes and not hurt your team. Could he be a gamebreaker in the NHL? It feels unlikely, since there is no real dynamism in his game compared to the truly elite rearguards in the league. But, if a team wants someone that they can develop into being a top-four, stable force that could chip in offensively but not completely take over in a game? Then there’s certainly a lot to like.
How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?
Not only would Verhoeff fit within the Flyers system on the ice and in the prospect pool, but he would basically be the perfect fit for this team and what they need. While Oliver Bonk is projectable but not all that dynamic, and David Jiricek is maybe too dynamic, Verhoeff would be the perfect mix of both similarly sized right-handed defensemen. We can all picture him munching minutes alongside Travis Sanheim, or combining with Cam York to be a big transition pairing, or just adding to the overall future blue line for this team.
Could the Flyers actually get him?
As much as we would love it, no, they can not. Unless there is a weird universe where the Flyers somehow end up with a top-10 pick and other defensemen go ahead of Verhoeff as he slides down, he’s not going to end up in Philadelphia.
While it would be perfect, we just can’t see it happening.
What scouts are saying
“Verhoeff is a big two-way defenseman. He’s a strong skater, especially for his size. He isn’t flashy, nor is he overly creative offensively, but he has good skill, sees the ice well and makes difficult plays with a great point shot that will be a threat in the NHL. His decision-making at times can leave you wanting, though. He’s hard on his checks and uses his size. In college, he wasn’t a hard minutes defenseman this season, but he has been at the junior level, and he was a 17-year-old on a top college team. He projects as a tough-minutes top-pair defenseman in the NHL who could score at a quality clip.”
–Corey Pronman, The Athletic
“Another player where a small drop isn’t necessarily because of them not being impressive, but this year, so many names have clumped up at the top of my board that things have just come down to philosophical preference and vibes, to be perfectly honest. I really like Verhoeff, and if things break right, he could be a player I should’ve had a tier or even two higher. Nobody in the entire class is better at defending bluelines than Verhoeff, and he doesn’t do it strictly through his range and off-puck play knocking down loose pucks and errant passes. 32% of his defensive transitions are stick checks, and he’s successful 85% of the time. For a 17 year old in the NCAA, that is absolutely wild. He’s got a great shot that just didn’t come out much in my sample, but what did was his excellent offensive zone vision and playmaking.
On a dynamic offensive team like North Dakota, his presence was a bit more limited than it probably could’ve been, but as a player with defensive acumen and offensive zone ability, there isn’t a ton more you could want. That said, Verhoeff isn’t without faults, and in my view, in some very key areas. His footwork and range are great in open ice through the neutral zone but his defensive zone explosiveness and strength have been a bit of a detriment, as has his overall reliability procedurally moving the puck around the defensive and neutral zone offensively. He gets a ton of puck touches but turns it over in those zones more than I would like, his physical metrics are worse than you might expect, and his skill and puck settling ability at low-pace is still something to be worked on after months of seeing him deal with that. There’s a lot going right with Verhoeff, and the upside is significant, and like Gustafsson, he may take a bit of time to really break out, but with the right amount of patience and the right areas of development, Verhoeff could be a great addition to any team’s defense corps.”
–Will Scouch, scouching.ca
And now we have to add one more player to the poll! Here comes fairly divisive center prospect from Boston University, Tynan Lawrence. He is beloved by some, and seen as a fairly mediocre-but-projectable center by others.
“Lawrence is an excellent skater with the quick-twitch feet that allow him to buzz around the ice. He works very hard and brings a lot of pace and energy to his shifts. He’s a very strong puck handler who creates chances on the move. His vision and decision making are not the best, and he can force a lot of plays. He projects as a two-way third line center.”
–Corey Pronman, The Athletic
